Ankara, July 7 (IANS) US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said his administration would remove sanctions on Syria, describing the country as a friend and crediting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with helping improve relations with Syria’s new leadership.

The announcement came during Trump’s meeting with Erdogan in Ankara ahead of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Summit, where the two leaders discussed regional security, Iran and bilateral ties.

“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off. OK? I don’t want him to waste his time answering that question,” Trump said in response to a question during a joint appearance with Erdogan.

“We’re working very closely with (Secretary of State) Marco Rubio, a very famous man, great secretary of state, and with (Treasury Secretary) Scott Bessent and with (Secretary of War) Pete (Hegseth) and everybody else. We’re going to be taking the sanctions off.”

“It’s time to do that. OK? You don’t want to sanction friends. It’s very simple. There’s plenty of people we can sanction and we are sanctioning. We don’t want to sanction friends.”

Trump said Erdogan had played an important role in Washington’s engagement with Syria’s new leadership and praised the country’s progress under its new government.

“And because of the president, you know, we have a very good relationship with the new leader of Syria, and he’s done an amazing job,– In a year and a half, he’s pulled the whole country together. And I have a very great relationship with him– We were the two that really wanted him, and he’s done a great job. He’s done a great job. He’s pulled it together– It’s not an easy job.”

The remarks marked one of Trump’s clearest public signals yet that his administration intends to normalise relations with Syria after years of economic restrictions imposed by successive US administrations.

Earlier, Trump said Turkey had been “very instrumental” in helping efforts related to Iran and had chosen not to become directly involved in the recent conflict despite possessing a powerful military.

“They are a nation that’s been very, very good,” Trump said, adding that Turkey had been “extraordinary in many ways with respect to our relationship.”

Trump’s announcement came as the United States seeks to reshape its approach to several conflicts across the Middle East while encouraging regional partners to assume larger diplomatic roles.

–IANS

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